Guardian Writer Dave Hill On Politics, People & Goings On

September 04, 2008

Fares Rise: Mayor Johnson's Statement

In it, he says:

“This fares package is designed to be fair to all Londoners, commuters and visitors. Some of us will pay a little more but I have ensured fares will remain affordable, especially for people who rely on public transport most, including the elderly, disabled veterans and those on lower incomes.

I have been left to tackle the unfunded legacy of Livingstone’s largesse. Put simply, the previous Mayor’s cynical and irresponsible pre-election fares freeze and support for unfunded transport schemes is unsustainable, and has produced a gap that has to be plugged. I’m determined to deliver value for money for London’s farepayers and taxpayers and that will mean some tough choices.

But let no-one be in any doubt. We’re investing billions to improve transport in London, prepare for 2012 and deliver Crossrail. This is a fares package that will sustain the investment needed to deliver the extra capacity and reliability that is vital for London.”

Comments

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I've got Excel fired up, got all the numbers in, and working out something. Not sure what yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

There's a little bit of vagueness in the press release - it mentions the new off-peak fare from 0930-1600, but there's no mention of whether it gets cheaper again after 1900. (Any chance you could call the press office and ask them to elucidate, Dave?)

As a shift worker, I think this is basically going to make it harder to work off whether I'm better off getting a travelcard or sticking to pre-pay.

Is there any other information, beyond what is in the press release? Have the budgets, or income/expenditure forecasts, been released? What evidence does Boris have that Ken wasted 80 million pounds? How was that figure calculated?

The information that is in the press release is insufficient to back up Boris' rather shrill claims that it is all the fault of Ken. The press release also mixes up running costs and investment, which is confusing.